Waveguide Manufacturing
Magic Leap’s manufacturing process combines proprietary machines and integrated workflows to deliver consistent and high-quality waveguides.
Preparing for Manufacturing
Materials and Substrates
Every waveguide begins with its foundation: the glass wafer substrate. This structural base layer is where all materials are applied and patterned during the manufacturing process. The substrate’s quality and preparation directly influence waveguide performance and manufacturing stability downstream.
Incoming Substrates
Surface Cleaning
Adhesion Preparation
Inspection and Readiness
Creating Optical Designs
Lithography and Etching
This stage is at the core of our waveguide manufacturing workflow. Our proprietary lithography equipment works in conjunction with a plasma etching process, which replaces what traditionally requires multiple separate steps. Design-driven software manages patterning, transfer, and refinement to reduce variability and maintain nano-patterning repeatability.
J-FIL: Printed Replication
Template Transfer
A polymer template carrying the waveguide pattern is pressed into wet photoresist and then UV-cured, locking nanoscale features into place before etching begins.
Material Etching
A replicated pattern is etched through the photoresist into a durable titanium dioxide (TiO2) layer on the original substrate, permanently defining the optical structure.
Spincoating Layer
Product Fulfillment
Testing and Finishing
Once waveguides are complete at the wafer level, custom testing and metrology verify design performance against customer requirements. They then go through final inspections to ensure each waveguide meets functional, visual, and handling standards.
